to last. >> it's built to last. >> john: nicole says she doesn't mind hearing the same speech. >> it makes it that much easier to pinpoint when there is something new. >> whole pacperks up. >> you see us furiously typing. >> john: sometimes campaigns play with reporters, use us for their purposes. >> you get a joy in fooling the media? >> yes, but more importantly you wanted to have your own narrative at your own time. >> my running mate, dick cheney. >> before bush made this announcement, rove wanted to mislead the media. >> we had a a guy on the campaign who was leaker. he said what is going on? i said look, big secret, don't tell anybody but burn has decided to go with jack of

missouri. >> john: media ran with the false story. >> i was the guy that was going to go leak. >> john: lying to the guy? >> yes. >> what it does it helps tell a story, you want it told by an evening anchor or a candidate that expresses why he made this choice. >> john: four years later the "new york post" says john kerry had picked richard gephardt to to be his running mate but, of course, he picked out edwards. edwards turned out to be another mistake, but the media reported even fooled the campaign manager. >> i called up dick gephardt, i know you can't talk about this. he said i never happened. he said, steve, it didn't happen. wouldn't y wouldn't you believe so emphatically? >> you absolutely must keep all of this conversation going on

with the nominee. >> john: so lying is okay in politics? >> running for office, lying is not okay unless you ask an inappropriate question. >> john: politicians have always lied. >> i am not a crook. i did not have sexual relations with that woman. >> the media used to give candidates privacy, even keep their secret. they rarely pictured fdr in a wheelchair. but now everything is game but that is a good thing even though reporters are obnoxious. >> i would let you prefer you let me finish my statements. >> john: next, we'll show you the secret behind the debates. >> here you go again. i brought your stuff. you don't have to do this. yes i do. i want you to keep this. it'd be weird.

take care. you too. [ sighs ] so how did it go? he's upset. [ male announcer ] spend less time at gas stations with best in class fuel economy. it's our most innovative altima ever. ♪ [ male announcer ] how do you make 70,000 trades a second... ♪ reach one customer at a time? ♪ or help doctors turn billions of bytes of shared information... ♪ into a fifth anniversary of remission? ♪ whatever your business challenge, dell has the technology and services to help you solve it.

[ male announcer ] it started long ago. the joy of giving something everything you've got. it takes passion. and it's not letting up anytime soon. at unitedhealthcare insurance company, we understand that commitment. and always have. so does aarp, an organization serving the needs of americans 50 and over for generations. so it's no surprise millions have chosen an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they help cover some of the expenses

medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands in out-of-pocket costs. to find out more, request your free decision guide. call or go online today. after all, when you're going the distance, it's nice to have the experience and commitment to go along with you. keep dreaming. keep doing. go long.

>> john: for months, mitt romney and barack obama has attacked

each other but three times this fall they faced each other. debates can make a big difference. >> you will never have as many people watching the two candidates together as you are going to have on debate night. >> john: and they can't control the debates the way they control everything else. >> what you do as a manager to get them ready you have to step in the are avenue and it's just two of them. you don't know. >> three things that are gone, commerce and education -- what is the third one there. >> john: one brain freeze can end your campaign. >> commerce and let's see. >> rick perry was serious contender until this debate. >> looking bad. in in the first tv debate, richard nixon refused to put on makeup. >> more important than what you

say is how you look on television. >> john: so they obsess over details. when ronald reagan debated walter mondale, beckel was campaign manager along with rollins. >> do you remember how high the podiums was going to be. >> we had teams negotiating. the color of the room. >> john: what difference would that make? >> in certain conditions, in certain colors work for certain candidates. >> because mondale was shorter than reagan. >> i remember we debated for seven and a half feet and nine feet for days. >> two-thirds of defense budget pays for pay and salary or pay and pension. >> he looked tired and ragged. the observation they spent too much time with 77-year-old guy

trying to beat every factoid into his brain. >> they said reagan is too old for president. in the next debate he was ready for that. >> i will not make age an issue of this campaign. i am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. [ laughter ] >> he delivers this line and there is sense of humor come in. you see the curl but you know he is delivering a great line and mondale can't help himself. he is simultaneously laughing and at the same time i've just been taken out to the cleaners. >> i turned the guy, i said this race is over. >> john: just from that? >> i walked away. >> most people only remember one thing about the vice presidential debate, when senator lloyd benson when dan

quayle compared his experience to j.f.k. >> senator, you are no jack kennedy. >> john: years later, al gore walked up to bush. >> al gore tries to be the bully. you ren the moment. bush doesn't say anything. he smiles and goes on. >> i believe i can. >> that was it. it absolutely devastated him. >> you watch him go. >> we revert to junior high mentality. when the team scores. what most people don't know. bush had been prepared. gregg who had played the role in the debate, be prepared he is going to come into your face. we dismissed it but sure enough it happened. >> john: which raises the question, how do they prepare? the these two debate coaches

showed me. o'donnell coached michele bachmann. they try on replicate moments. >> you have them stand in front of podium. >> you want strong. look at colin powell he commands the podium. it's like this. >> it's about making sure that you fill the stage more than your opponent does. >> they practice debating. john kerry's played romney. rob portman plays obama. >> john: you never see videotape of this? >> no. there is reason why, you don't want to show those vulnerable moments. we don't want to give any component in the prep. >> in a campaign, one of secretaries gave bush prep video? >> they went right to the f.b.i.. what happened.

>> john: what is so secret. >> limited government. >> you say limited government. what kind are you talking about. can you be specific? >> yes, i can list cuts. >> would you cut defense? >> i would cut defense. >> so you are soft on defense? >> i know how i should answer the questions but under pressure it's hard. >> john: go back to the clinton days. my instinct is to answer the question that is asked but consultants to say don't. >> you are still answering my questions but most of the time you want to be delivering your message. >> they say sarah palin was good at that. >> governor palin answered the questions on her terms. >> that is not so. but because that is just a quick answer. i wanted to talk about, again, my lord on energy. >> she was able to pivot most of the questions on to ground that she was comfortable in handling the questions is on. >> john: they kept grilling.

>> you think colleges are stupid. don't you think college is stupid is an irresponsible remark to make? >> no. for some people college is stupid. >> now they are going to make a commercial saying college is stupid. college is stupid. bad for our kids, bad for america. >> knowing that that one bad moment can wreck your campaign makes candidates very careful. when gerald ford debated jimmy carter there was a technical glitch. >> the broadcasters in philadelphia have temporarily lost the audio. >> instead of leaving the stage to take a break, neither candidate moved. >> we know what has happened. we are surprised as you are. >> so they stood there for almost half an hour. >> ultimate fear is making a mistake.

they were frozen. >> first was criticized for looking at his watch too much during the debate. >> he looked at at his watch. >> its non-verbal clue that says i want to get away from this situation as fast as possible. >> that hurt him. >> he was widely viewed as losing that debate. >> it overran the message. >> al gore was criticized for sighing while george bush spoke. >> this is major problem of social security. >> he looked like a dufas. he was castigated. >> the next debate al gore went the opposite direction and went out of his way to be do sill and agreed with everything that bush said. >> the governor and i basically agree with dick cheney. >> that, candidates practice a lot. >> these discussions go on for how long? >> for hours. >> for most candidates it's the most hated part of the campaign.

>> john: do candidates get mad? >> all the time. it's painful. it's not fun. >> john: do they yell at you? >> collapse, walk out. >> john: but they all do because practice builds confidence. confident guy wins. >> confidence and not competence often wins and so does looks. that next.

- hi, i'm halle berry, and as a new mom, i can tell you that childhood is a magical time. but for children with diabetes, life is not quite so carefree. the barbara davis center for childhood diabetes is fighting hard to find a cure. know the signs: irritability, excessive urination, weight loss. if you have any of these signs, please call your doctor. early detection can save your life. give to save lives and reach for the cure. call now or log on to childrensdiabetesfoundation.org.